Robot system for testing a loading space of a loading aid in a storage and order-picking system and operating method therefor

ABSTRACT

A robot system (2a . . . 2d) is specified, which comprises a robot (1a, 1b) having a gripping unit (4) for collecting goods (23a . . . 23n) and a sensor system (8a . . . 8e) for detecting a loading space (27a . . . 27d) of a loading aid (9a . . . 9e) and the goods (23a . . . 23n) stored therein. After the collection of a good (23a . . . 23n), a check is conducted with the aid of a controller (11) on whether a good (23a . . . 23n) protrudes beyond the loading space (27a . . . 27d). If necessary, the good (23a . . . 23n) protruding beyond the loading space (27a . . . 27d) is collected and placed down at a different position, or the part of the good (23a . . . 23n) protruding beyond the loading space (27a . . . 27d) is moved into the loading space (27a . . . 27d). Moreover, a method for operating the robot system (2a . . . 2d) is specified.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a robot in a storageand order-picking system, said robot comprising a gripping unit movablein relation to the robot base, in which the goods are collected from orout of a first goods carrier and are placed down in or on a second goodscarrier by means of the gripping unit, wherein at least one of the goodscarriers is designed as a loading aid. Moreover, the invention relatesto a robot system with a robot having a gripping unit forgripping/collecting goods that is movable in relation to a robot base,wherein the robot is designed for collecting goods from or out of afirst goods carrier and to place these down in or on a second goodscarrier by means of the gripping unit and wherein at least one of thegoods carriers is designed as a loading aid. Finally, the invention alsorelates to a storage and order-picking system for picking goods,comprising a storage area for storing goods and a working area forpicking/repacking goods using a robot system of the aforementioned type.

A method, a robot system and a storage and order-picking system of thementioned type are, in general, known. For example, U.S. Pat. No.9,868,207 B2 discloses a robot for gripping goods in a storage system inthis regard. In the course of this, information on gripping thementioned goods can be determined and, in connection with a database, beused for determining a gripping strategy.

The disadvantage of the known methods is that a good protruding beyondthe loading space of a loading aid is not recognized and therefore can,as a consequence, cause faults during conveying and manipulating in thestorage and order-picking system. Therefore, loading aids are commonlynot entirely used, meaning they are often not loaded all the way up to acontainer edge and especially not beyond the container edge. This has anaccordingly disadvantageous impact on the performance of the storage andorder-picking system. Therefore, they are usually built to be largerthan would actually be necessary.

It is thus the object of the invention to provide an improved method forcontrolling a robot in a storage and order-picking system, an improvedrobot system as well as an improved storage and order-picking system forpicking goods. In particular, the disadvantages mentioned above are tobe overcome, meaning faults during conveying and manipulation of goodsin a storage and order-picking system are to be avoided, and theperformance of the storage and order-picking system is to be increasedas compared to the prior art.

This object is achieved by means of a method of the type mentioned atthe beginning, in which

-   -   in the region of the at least one loading aid, a loading space        is defined, which is intended for accommodating the goods,    -   the loading space and the goods located within the region of the        loading space are detected with the aid of a sensor system,    -   after collection of a good from or out of the first goods        carrier by means of the gripping unit, a check is performed        whether a good protrudes beyond said loading space and

a) the good protruding beyond the loading space is collected by thegripping unit and placed down at a different position or

b) the part of the good protruding beyond the loading space is movedinto the loading space by the gripping unit,

if the outcome of said check is positive.

In this regard, said check is performed, in particular, by means of acontroller of a robot system which comprises the robot and the sensorsystem.

Moreover, the object of the invention is achieved by means of a robotsystem of the above-mentioned type, which robot system has a controllerwhich is adapted for checking, after the collection of a good from orout of the first goods carrier by means of the gripping unit, if a goodprotrudes beyond said loading space and for commanding the robot, upon apositive outcome of the check, to

a) collect the good protruding beyond the loading space and place itdown at a different position, or

b) move the part of the good protruding beyond the loading space intothe loading space.

Finally, the object of the invention is also achieved by an (essentiallyautomated) storage and order-picking system of the initially mentionedtype, which comprises a (fully automated) robot system of theaforementioned type, which is in particular connected to the storagearea in terms of conveyor technology.

By the suggested measures, a good protruding beyond the loading space ofa loading aid is recognized, whereby faults during conveying andmanipulating in a storage and order-picking system can be avoided. Thus,loading aids can be used in their entirety and, in particular, be loadedcompletely up to a container edge or, in a defined manner, even beyondthe edge. Thus, the performance of the storage and order-picking systemcan be significantly increased as compared to the prior art. Therefore,they also require less installation space than has been the case todate.

It is principally advantageous if, for placing down a good in or on thesecond goods carrier, a position within the loading space is calculated,at which said good likely does not protrude beyond said loading space.In the event that the placing down of the good does not succeed asexpected, the problem is recognized as stated above and consequentlysolved automatically.

In doing so, the good is either collected anew and lifted (case a), orthe part of the good protruding beyond the loading space is simplypushed back, folded back or pulled back into the loading space, withoutcompletely lifting the good (case b). In pulling back the part of thegood protruding beyond the loading space, the gripping function of thegripper is used. The pushing back or folding back of the part of thegood protruding beyond the loading space, on the other hand, can takeplace with or without using the gripping function of the gripper. Agripping of the good is therefore not absolutely necessary in case b).Thus, case b) generally describes moving a part of the good protrudingbeyond the loading space back into the loading space without completelylifting the good in doing so.

The loading aid can, for example, comprise a container bottom, sidewalls rising up from it and a loading opening bounded by the side walls,as well as a loading space upwardly bounded by the loading opening. Thismeans that the loading aid is loaded maximally up to the container edgein this case.

However, it is also advantageous if the loading aid comprises acontainer bottom, side walls rising from it and a loading openingbounded by the side walls, and the loading space upwardly protrudesbeyond said loading opening. This way, the loading aid can be loadedbeyond the container edge. This means that the loading space is largerthan the volume which is enclosed by the side walls and the loadingopening of the loading aid. This way, the capacity of a loading aid isincreased as compared to the prior art.

Moreover, it is advantageous if the loading space protrudes laterallybeyond the side walls of the loading aid. This means that the loadingspace extends to not only upwardly protrude beyond the container edgebut also to laterally protrude beyond it. Thereby, the storage capacityof a loading aid is further increased as compared to the prior art.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if the loading space extends downwardsbelow the plane of the loading opening in the section that protrudesbeyond the side walls. This means that goods can also hang down over theside of container edge. Thereby, the storage capacity of a loading aidis increased even further as compared to the prior art.

In the context of the invention, a “good” in particular is understood asan object that can be handled individually and/or a group of objectsthat can be handled individually.

A “goods carrier” can for example be a loading aid (such as a box, atray or a container or a pallet) or can be formed by a conveyor (such asa belt conveyor, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor). However, a“goods carrier” can also be formed by a transport platform (for exampleon a storage-and-retrieval unit or an autonomous transport vehicle). Inthis context, the first goods carrier serves as the “source”, the secondgoods carrier serves as the “target”. The second goods carrier can, forexample, also be formed by a pivotable flap. In this case, the robotcollects a good from or out of the source and places it on the flap.After this, the good can be discharged into a further container, forexample, by actuating, i.e. elevating, the flap.

A “loading aid”, as indicated above, can be formed by a container, forexample by a case, by a box or by a cardboard box. In this regard, it isnoted that a tray usually also has side walls and can thus also beunderstood as a flat container. In the case of a pallet, the loadingspace can extend, for example, upwardly in a cuboidal manner

In a “storage and order-picking system”, goods can, for example, bedelivered to an incoming goods department and be taken over and thenoptionally be repacked and stored in a warehouse. The goods can also bepicked according to an order, meaning that they can be removed from thewarehouse, combined into an order and provided for transport at theoutgoing goods department. As opposed to a manufacturing process, thegoods are not substantially changed between the incoming goodsdepartment and the outgoing goods department. However, a slight changein shape is possible, in particular in case of non-rigid bodies such aspouches or sacks or other resilient packaging, for example fromcardboard or plastic materials.

If an error occurs, meaning a negative outcome of the check if a goodprotrudes beyond the loading space, the following scenarios, inparticular, are conceivable:

-   -   i) The good is collected properly from the first goods carrier        (source) formed as a loading aid and also properly placed down        in or on the second goods carrier (target) by the gripping unit.        When moving the gripping unit out of the loading aid, however, a        good different from the one collected by the gripping unit is        taken along or pulled along, which good consequently drops back        into the loading aid in such an unfortunate manner that it        protrudes beyond its loading space.    -   ii) The good is collected from the first goods carrier (source)        formed as a loading aid by the gripping unit, but inadvertently        drops off it, back into the loading aid, in such an unfortunate        manner that it protrudes beyond its loading space.    -   iii) The good is collected properly from or out of the first        goods carrier (source) by the gripping unit and is placed down        in the second goods carrier (target) formed as a loading aid.        There, however, it protrudes beyond the loading space.    -   iv) The good is collected properly from or out of the first        goods carrier (source) by the gripping unit, but inadvertently        drops from it, into the second goods carrier (target) formed as        a loading aid, in such an unfortunate manner that it protrudes        beyond its loading space.    -   v) The good is collected properly from or out of the first goods        carrier (source) by the gripping unit. However, it inadvertently        drops from said gripping unit but lands neither on the first        goods carrier nor on the second goods carrier (target).

Generally speaking, the errors described in cases i) through v) can berectified either by the good being collected anew (case a) or bypushing, folding or pulling the part of the good protruding beyond theloading space back into the loading space (case b).

Additionally, in case i), two different scenarios for rectifying theerror are conceivable: In a first variant, the good protruding beyondthe loading space of the first goods carrier (source) is, in any event,completely returned into the loading space of the first goods carrier(source). In a second variant, it is checked whether the good protrudingbeyond the loading space of the first goods carrier (source) contributesto the completion of a transfer order, which comprises the transfer ofmultiple goods from the first goods carrier into the second goodscarrier. If this is the case, the good protruding beyond the loadingspace of the first goods carrier (source) is conveyed into the loadingspace of the second goods carrier (target). If this is not the case, thegood protruding beyond the loading space of the first goods carrier(source) is, in any event, completely returned into the loading space ofthe first goods carrier (source).

In case v), it is furthermore advantageous if there is an additionalcheck on whether a good dropped from the gripping unit is locatedcompletely outside of the loading space.

It is particularly advantageous if there is a check on whether the gooddropped from the gripping unit has dropped on the floor. In both cases,it is conceivable that the error that occurred cannot be rectified bythe robot system itself and hence, an alarm message is issued.Subsequently, the problem can also be solved by an operator, whereapplicable.

In the above context, however, it is also advantageous if

-   -   a check is conducted on whether the good that was dropped from        the gripping unit is located on a rest surface which is arranged        to be adjacent to the first goods carrier and/or to the second        goods carrier, and    -   the good located on the rest surface is collected by the        gripping unit and is placed down    -   i) in or on the first goods carrier, or    -   ii) in or on the second goods carrier, or    -   iii) at a clearing place.

This way, the problem that occurred can be solved by the robot systemitself, whereby an intervention by an operator is unnecessary. The restsurface can be formed by a horizontally or obliquely oriented plane andby a pivotable flap and can be arranged between the goods carriers butalso around the goods carriers. The flap can be, in particular,motor-driven or be actuated by the robot. With the aid of a restsurface, which is designed in the form of an obliquely oriented plane, agood dropped from the gripping unit can be automatically conveyed intoor onto the first goods carrier, into or onto the second goods carrieror to a clearing place. With the aid of a flap, a good dropped from thegripping unit can be conveyed either into or onto the first goodscarrier, into or onto the second goods carrier or to a clearing place.

As stated above, it can be provided that in certain cases, an alarmmessage is issued. Therefore, it is generally advantageous if the checkon whether a good protrudes beyond the loading space as well as thesteps a) or b) are repeated recursively and the recursive repetition ofthis procedure is canceled after a predefined number of repetitions andan alarm message is issued. Accordingly, an alarm message is issued forproblems which cannot be solved by the robot system alone in order toalert the operating staff to the problem which has occurred.

However, it is also advantageous if the check on whether a goodprotrudes beyond the loading space as well as the steps a) or b) arerepeated recursively until the outcome of said check is negative. Inthis variant of the proposed method, it is assumed that all problempotentially occurring during the transfer of the goods can be solved bythe robot system alone. This can be ensured particularly if the workingarea for the robot is designed such that goods dropped from the grippingunit are also always located within the operating range of the robot.This can be achieved, for example, by having the gripping unit be ableto also reach the floor and thereby goods dropped on the floor, or alsoby having corresponding rest surfaces provided around the first goodscarrier and the second goods carrier.

Further advantageous designs and further advancements of the inventionresult from the subclaims as well as from the description in combinationwith the figures.

It is particularly advantageous if

-   -   the gripping/collecting of a good from or out of the first goods        carrier and a detection of the second goods carrier and the        goods located in or on the second goods carrier with the aid of        the sensor system and    -   the placing down of a good in or on the second goods carrier and        a detection of the first goods carrier or the goods located in        or on the first goods carrier with the aid of the sensor system

takes place in alternation, wherein the operations overlap particularlyin terms of time. In other words, this means that the collection of agood and the check on whether a good protrudes beyond a loading spacetakes place alternately in two different places, namely on the firstgoods carrier and on the second goods carrier. This avoids, particularlyin the optical detection of the first and second goods carrier, that thegripping unit covers the goods carrier to be checked and thus, thwarts acheck. Moreover, the method is accelerated overall by theparallelization of the running processes.

It is also advantageous if the check on whether a good protrudes beyondthe loading space takes place after collecting a different good from orout of the first goods carrier. This variant relates to two cases inparticular, namely if a different good than the one that has beencollected is dropped back into or onto the first goods carrier formed asa loading aid, or if the gripping unit has placed down a good in or onthe second goods carrier formed as a loading aid but prevents an opticaldetection of the second goods carrier and the goods stored therein. Inthe first case, a good different from the one collected is inadvertentlypulled along and can consequently protrude beyond the loading space ofthe first goods carrier. In the second case, a detection (particularly,an optical detection) of the second goods carrier and the goods storedtherein can take place only once the gripping unit is moved out of theregion of the second goods carrier.

The check on whether a good protrudes beyond a loading space cangenerally take place during the movement of the gripping unit from thefirst goods carrier to the second goods carrier and vice versa, so thatno noticeable waiting periods are caused by the check. The loading aidscan therefore be dispatched even immediately after the repacking ororder-picking operation by means of a conveying device.

It is favorable if the first goods carrier is formed as a first loadingaid and the second goods carrier as a second loading aid, and

-   -   in the region of the first loading aid, a loading space is        defined, which is intended for accommodating goods, and in the        region of the second loading aid, a further loading space is        defined, which is intended for accommodating goods,    -   the loading spaces and the goods located in the region of the        loading spaces of the first loading aid and of the second        loading aid are each detected by means of the sensor system,    -   both after the collection of a good from or out of the first        loading aid by means of the gripping unit and after the placing        down of the good in or on the second loading aid by means of the        gripping unit, a check takes place on whether a good protrudes        beyond one of the loading spaces, and

a) the good protruding beyond said loading space is collected by thegripping unit and placed down at a different position, or

b) the part of the good protruding beyond said loading space is movedinto the loading space by means of the gripping unit

if the outcome of said check is positive.

In this embodiment variant, both goods carriers are formed as loadingaids. The first loading aid therefore has a first loading space and thesecond loading aid has a second loading space.

It is favorable if the check on whether a good protrudes beyond theloading space takes place after the gripping unit and/or the goodcollected by the gripping unit has been completely moved out of theloading space. If said check takes place after the good has beencollected, the gripping unit and the good held therewith shouldtherefore have been completely moved out of the loading space before thecheck. If said check takes place after the good has been placed down,only the gripping unit (which now does not hold any more goods) has tohave been moved out of the loading space before the check. Thesemeasures ensure that a static condition ensues in the loading space,which condition is not disturbed by the transfer operation of the goods.Accordingly, this also ensures that the check on whether a goodprotrudes beyond the loading space is valid.

Moreover, it is advantageous if the check on whether a good protrudesbeyond the loading space takes place after the gripping unit and/or thegood collected by the gripping unit has been completely moved out of adetection region of the sensor system, in particular out of a detectionregion which relates to the loading space of a goods carrier and thegoods contained therein. It would be conceivable that the gripping unitand/or the good collected by the gripping unit from the loading spacecovers parts of the goods carrier and the (other) goods containedtherein after being moved completely out of the loading space, so that acheck on whether a good protrudes beyond the loading space is possibleonly for a part of the region captured by the sensor system. However, acomplete check is possible by means of the suggested measures.

Additionally, it is particularly advantageous if the check on whether agood protrudes beyond the loading space takes place after the grippingunit and the good collected by the gripping unit are laterally movedaway completely from a goods carrier. As long as the gripping unit andthe good collected by the gripping unit are located vertically above agoods carrier, it cannot be ruled out that the good may inadvertentlyfall back into or onto the goods carrier. However, a valid check ispossible by means of the suggested measures.

It is favorable if the check on whether a good protrudes beyond saidloading space is performed after each collection of a good. This allowsto detect a good protruding beyond the loading space within a narrowtime frame of the occurrence of the error, and the accumulation of theimpacts of multiple errors occurring consecutively is avoided. Theaforementioned measures relate particularly to the first goods carrier(source).

Similarly, it is favorable if the check on whether a good protrudesbeyond said loading space is performed after each placing down of a goodin or on the second goods carrier. This also allows to detect a goodprotruding beyond the loading space within a narrow time frame of theoccurrence of the error, and the accumulation of the impacts of multipleerrors occurring consecutively is again avoided. These measures relateparticularly to the second goods carrier (target).

However, it is also advantageous of the check on whether a goodprotrudes beyond said loading space is performed after the placing downof a plurality of goods (in particular, after the placing down of allgoods associated with an order) in or on the second goods carrier. Thisallows to reduce the number of checks and thereby the computing effortand the computation time for them. This variant is thereforeparticularly suitable for robot systems with a limited computationalpower.

It should be noted at this point that a check can take place after thecollection of the good (but before placing the same down) and a furthercheck can take place after placing down the good. However, it is alsoconceivable that only one check takes place after placing down the goodand therefore, chronologically after the collection of the good. Thismeans that the time for the check provided after the collection is thenchronologically pushed back, specifically, to a time after the good hasbeen placed down.

It is advantageous if an occupied status of the gripping unit after thecollection of a good is monitored and the check on whether a goodprotrudes beyond the loading space is performed upon recognition of anunoccupied but activated gripping unit. By this, the unwanted droppingof a good from the gripping unit is recognized and, consequently, thecheck on whether a good protrudes beyond the loading space is initiated.The unwanted dropping is characterized precisely in that the grippingunit is unoccupied but activated. In the event that the gripping unit isoccupied and activated, a good is held by the gripping unit. In theevent that the gripping unit is unoccupied and deactivated, a good wasplaced down or dropped deliberately and/or intentionally. The monitoringof the occupied status of the gripping unit can, for example, be carriedout by a sensor technology on the gripping unit, which sensor technologyis specifically designed for this. The monitoring of the occupied statusof the gripping unit can, however, also be carried out by the sensorsystem which is provided for detecting the loading space and the goodslocated within the region of the loading space. For this purpose, thesensor system can, for example, have a scale which is positioned below agoods carrier and which can measure the weight of the goods carrieralong with the goods located therein. If the good is removed, the weightmeasured by the scale decreases. If the good falls from the grippingunit back onto the goods carrier from or out of which the good wasremoved, the weight measured by the scale increases. Accordingly, it canbe concluded that the good was dropped (inadvertently) from the grippingunit. Equivalently, it can be determined if a good was inadvertentlydropped onto or into the second goods carrier (target). Furtherinformation on the use with a scale in the stated context can be foundin the international patent application PCT/AT2018/060012.

Moreover, it is favorable if, according to an order, the goods

-   -   are transported to the robot with the aid of the first goods        carrier,    -   are transferred from or out of the first goods carrier into or        onto the second goods carrier with the aid of the robot, and    -   are transported away from the robot with the aid of the second        goods carrier.

In this variant, the goods are transported to the robot, for example,directly on a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor,and/or with a loading aid on a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor or achain conveyor. Thus, the robot can statically remain in one place.However, in general, it would also be conceivable that the robot isdesigned as a mobile robot. For example, the robot can be installed onan autonomous transport vehicle (automated guided vehicle, in short“AGV”).

It is favorable for the sensor system to comprise a camera and/or a roomdepth sensor and/or a laser scanner and/or an ultrasonic sensor. Withthe aid of these sensors, it can be determined whether a good protrudesbeyond the loading space of the loading aid. Furthermore, by means ofthe sensor system, the location and position of a good in or on a goodscarrier can be determined and used as a reference for gripping by thegripping unit. By means of a camera (stereo camera), a room depthsensor, a laser scanner or an ultrasonic sensor, a three-dimensionalimage of the good lying in or on the goods carrier can be captured.However, a three-dimensional image can also be generated from multipletwo-dimensional images captured from different angles. Thesetwo-dimensional images can, for example, come from stereometricallyarranged cameras or can also be captured during a relative movementbetween the goods and the camera. In this regard, the (single) cameracan move in relation to the non-moving good or vice versa. By thethree-dimensional detection of the goods lying in or on the goodscarrier, a surface structure of the goods can be detected as well andthe suitability for gripping by the gripping unit can be determined. Forexample, highly convex surfaces are less suitable for gripping by asuction gripper, whereas plane surfaces are particularly well-suited forgripping by a suction gripper. A camera is in particular also suited forcapturing a surface character of the goods to be collected, for examplean imprint on packaging.

It is advantageous for the gripping unit to comprise at least onesuction gripper. Suction grippers are suited for quickly collectinggoods with different properties, for example both for manipulating moreor less rigid bodies (for example, boxes, cartons and plastic boxes) andfor manipulating resilient and in particular flexurally limp bodies (forexample, sacks or bags filled with objects).

At this point, it should be noted that the suggested method and/or thesuggested robot are generally (i.e. not only in combination with suctiongrippers) suitable both for collecting rigid goods, as well as fordeformable goods, such as sacks or bags. Both rigid goods and deformablegoods can be formed by an object that can be handled individually and/orbe formed by a group of objects that can be handled individually. Inconcrete terms, a good may therefore take the form of a cardboard orplastic box, which is for example filled with multiple objects.Likewise, a good may also take the form of a sack or a bag which isfilled with multiple objects. The method and/or the robot systemaccording to the invention is particularly well-suited for goods in theform of foil bags, in particular in the form of so-called “polybags”and/or “plastic bags” made from polyethylene or polypropanol. Such foilbags are predominantly used in the textile industry and are, forexample, used for packaging T-shirts, shirts and the like. Often, suchfoil bags are also used in the shoe industry or in the food industry.

Moreover, it is advantageous for the robot to be designed as ajointed-arm robot or a gantry robot. These designs are proven and testedmeans for manipulating goods and are available on the market in a widevariety of types.

Finally, it is advantageous if the working area of the storage andorder-picking system is designed for fully automated order-picking ofgoods, and a first conveying device for transporting goods in or onfirst goods carriers (storage loading aids, in particular containers) isarranged between the storage area and the robot in the working area,and/or a second conveying device for transporting goods in or on secondgoods carriers (order loading aids, in particular cardboard boxes) isprovided between the storage area and the robot in the working area,wherein the robot is designed for collecting at least one good from orout of the first goods carrier (storage loading aid, in particularcontainer) for an order and to place the at least one good in or on thesecond goods carrier (order loading aid, in particular cardboard boxes)for this order. Hence, an order-picking operation can be carried outparticularly efficiently and fast.

At this point, it should be noted that the embodiment variants disclosedfor the method and the advantages resulting therefrom can likewise referto the disclosed device and vice versa.

For the purpose of better understanding of the invention, it will beelucidated in more detail by means of the figures below.

These show in a respectively very simplified schematic representation:

FIG. 1 a first, simplified example of a robot system having a robot anda stationarily installed camera system in an oblique view;

FIG. 2 similar to FIG. 1, but with a movable camera system having acamera mounted on a robot arm segment of the robot;

FIG. 3 a schematically shown example of a storage and order-pickingsystem in a top view;

FIG. 4 a container having a loading space which is bounded towards thetop by a loading opening of the container;

FIG. 5 a container having a loading space which protrudes upwardlybeyond the loading opening;

FIG. 6 a container having a loading space which laterally protrudesbeyond the side walls of the container;

FIG. 7 a container having a loading space which, in the sectionprotruding beyond the side walls, extends downwards below the plane ofthe loading opening;

FIG. 8 a container having a loading space according to FIG. 5 andcuboidal goods stored therein;

FIG. 9 a container having a loading space according to FIG. 6 andcuboidal goods stored therein;

FIG. 10 a container having a loading space according to FIG. 4 andcuboidal goods stored therein;

FIG. 11 a container having a loading space according to FIG. 4 with aflexurally limp good hanging over the container edge;

FIG. 12 a container having a loading space according to FIG. 4 andflexurally limp goods stored therein;

FIG. 13 an arrangement with two containers and a rest surface in theregion of these containers, on which rest surface lies a good;

FIG. 14 the arrangement according to FIG. 13, however, in a condition inwhich the good has been removed from the rest surface;

FIG. 15 an arrangement with four containers and a rest surface in theregion of these containers, on which rest surface lies a good;

FIG. 16 the arrangement according to FIG. 15, however, in a condition inwhich the good has been removed from the rest surface;

FIG. 17 an example for a pivotable flap arranged between a first andsecond container;

First of all, it is to be noted that in the different embodimentsdescribed, equal parts are provided with equal reference numbers and/orequal component designations, where the disclosures contained in theentire description may be analogously transferred to equal parts withequal reference numbers and/or equal component designations. Moreover,the specifications of location, such as at the top, at the bottom, atthe side etc., chosen in the description refer to the directly describedand depicted figure and, in case of a change of position, are to beanalogously transferred to the new position.

FIG. 1 shows a robot 1 a in a robot system 2 a. The robot 1 a comprisesa gripping unit 4 which is movable in relation to a robot base 3 andwhich comprises three suction grippers 5 spaced apart from one anotherin this example. The gripping unit 4 is connected to the robot base 3 inan articulated manner via a robot arm comprising two arm segments 6 and7. Moreover, FIG. 1 shows a sensor system 8 a . . . 8 d, which servesfor the detection of the goods carriers 9 a and 9 b as well as the goodslying therein and, in the present example, comprises two cameras 8 a, 8b and two further optional cameras 8 c, 8 d. However, the goods are notvisible in FIG. 1 since they are stored in the goods carriers 9 a and 9b, which are designed as containers in this example. The container 9 ais a source container from which goods are collected/removed by thegripping unit 4, and the container 9 b is a target container, into whichgoods are placed down/thrown by the gripping unit 4.

The cameras 8 a, 8 b are arranged above the containers 9 a and 9 b andare each designed as a stereo camera in this example. Accordingly, thecameras 8 a, 8 b detect a three-dimensional image of the inside of atleast the containers 9 a and 9 b and the goods stored therein. Ingeneral, it would also be possible that merely the camera 8 a (stereocamera) is provided above the container 9 a or merely the camera 8 b(stereo camera) is provided above the container 9 b. Furthermore, it isconceivable that merely one common camera 8 a (stereo camera) isprovided for the containers 9 a and 9 b. Although stereo cameras areused in a preferred embodiment, the cameras 8 a, 8 b could also bedesigned as a camera for detecting a two-dimensional image of the insideof at least the containers 9 a and 9 b and the goods stored therein.

The containers 9 a and 9 b as well as the goods protruding beyond themcan also be detected from the side by means of the two optional cameras8 c, 8 d. The specific purpose of the optional cameras 8 c, 8 d iselucidated in detail with the aid of FIGS. 6 and 7. The position andorientation of the two optional cameras 8 c, 8 d depicted in FIG. 1 isto be understood purely for illustrative purposes and other positionsand orientations for the two optional cameras 8 c, 8 d are conceivable.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 further comprises a conveying device fortransporting the containers 9 a, 9 b to the robot system 2 a and fortransporting the containers 9 a, 9 b away from the robot system 2 a. Inparticular, the conveying device comprises a first conveying path 10 afor transporting the containers 9 a, 9 b to the robot system 2 a and asecond conveying path 10 b for transporting the containers 9 a, 9 b awayfrom the robot system 2 a.

Finally, the arrangement depicted in FIG. 1 comprises a controller 11which is connected with the cameras 8 a . . . 8 d and the robot 1 a andparticularly serves for checking whether a good protrudes beyond aloading space of the containers 9 a and 9 b. Furthermore, the controller11 serves for controlling the movement of the gripping unit 4 accordingto a predefined transfer operation.

FIG. 2 shows a robot system 2 b which is very similar to the robotsystem 2 a shown in FIG. 1. In contrast, however, no cameras 8 a . . . 8d are arranged above and on the side of the containers 9 a and 9 b, buta single camera 8 e is arranged directly on the second arm segment 7 ofthe robot 1 b. This camera 8 e is also connected to a controller 11(connection not shown). Furthermore, the camera 8 e can, in turn, bedesigned as a stereo camera to detect a three-dimensional image of thecontainers 9 a and 9 b as well as the goods stored therein, for example,by the camera 8 e being moved above the container 9 a or above thecontainer 9 b by means of the robot 1 a and an image being detectedthere. However, it would also be conceivable that the camera 8 e isdesigned merely for detecting a two-dimensional image, and athree-dimensional image of the containers 9 a and 9 b as well as of thegoods stored therein is generated by detecting multiple two-dimensionalimages during a movement of the camera 8 e and subsequent calculation ofthe three-dimensional image. Furthermore, the camera 8 e can also bepositioned such that the containers 9 a, 9 b as well as the goodsprotruding beyond them can also be detected from the side. At thispoint, it should also be noted that the camera 8 e can also be combinedwith the cameras 8 a . . . 8 d of the robot system 1 a of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a storage and order-picking system 12 comprising a building13 as well as a gate at an incoming goods department 14 and a gate at anoutgoing goods department 15. In the region of the incoming goodsdepartment 14, there is a first conveying path 16 and two secondconveying paths 17 a and 17 b. The first conveying path 16 connects theincoming goods department 14 to a robot system 2 c. The two secondconveying paths 17 a and 17 b connect the robot system 2 c to a storagearea 18, which comprises multiple storage racks 19 as well asstorage-and-retrieval units 20 a and 20 b, which move in rack aislesrunning between the storage racks 19. At that end of the rack aisles,which is opposite to the second conveying paths 17 a and 17 b, there isa third conveying path 21, which is designed annularly and leads to afurther robot system 2 d in the present example. A fourth conveying path22, which connects the robot system 2 d to the outgoing goods department15 in terms of conveyor technology, is arranged in the operating rangeof the robot system 2 d as well.

FIG. 4 now shows the container 9 a in detail. The container 9 acomprises a container bottom 24, side walls 25 rising up from it and aloading opening 26 bounded by the side walls 25. Furthermore, thecontainer 9 a has a loading space 27 a which is bounded towards the topby said loading opening 26.

FIG. 5 now shows the container 9 a having a loading space 27 b whichprotrudes upwardly beyond said loading opening 26, specifically beyondthe plane 28 of the loading opening 26.

FIG. 6 shows the container 9 a further having a loading space 27 cwhich, on the one hand, protrudes upwardly beyond said loading opening26, but on the other hand, also protrudes laterally beyond the sidewalls 25.

FIG. 7 finally shows the container having a loading space 27 d which notonly protrudes upwardly beyond said loading opening 26 and laterallybeyond the side walls 25, but also, in the section protruding beyond theside walls 25, extends downwards below the plane 28 of the loadingopening 26.

The loading aid 9 a shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is designed as a container,concretely, for example, as a cardboard box, carton or box. However, itis also generally conceivable that the loading aid used in the presentedmethod is designed as a pallet or tray. Since a tray usually has (low)side walls, it can also be understood as a container.

FIG. 8 shows the container 9 a loaded with cuboidal goods 23 f, all ofwhich are not located within the loading space 27 a (represented indashed lines), as the topmost good 23 f protrudes beyond the plane 28 ofthe container opening 26. The loading depicted in FIG. 8 is thereforenot permissible for the loading space 27 a. However, all of the goods 23f are located within the loading space 27 b (represented in dottedfashion) although the topmost good 23 f protrudes beyond the plane 28 ofthe container opening 26. The loading depicted in FIG. 8 is thereforepermissible for the loading space 27 b. The representation makes clearthat the loading space 27 b has a larger volume than the volume enclosedby the container bottom 24, the side walls 25 and the container opening26, and that the container 9 a is loaded more heavily than it is thecase in automated storage and order-picking systems according to theprior art. According to the prior art, containers 9 a are actually onlyloaded at maximum up to the plane 28 of the container opening 26.Consequently, the performance of a storage and order-picking system 12,in which containers 9 a with relatively large loading spaces 27 b, 27 cand 27 b in terms of volume are used, is increased with respect toconventional storage and order-picking systems.

FIG. 9 shows the container 9 a loaded with cuboidal goods 23 f, all ofwhich are not located within the loading space 27 a (represented indashed lines), as the topmost good 23 f protrudes beyond the plane 28 ofthe container opening 26. The loading depicted in FIG. 9 is thereforenot permissible for the loading space 27 a. The topmost good 23 ffurthermore protrudes beyond the loading space 27 b (represented in adotdashed fashion). The loading depicted in FIG. 9 is therefore also notpermissible for the loading space 27 b. However, FIG. 9 shows a loadingspace 27 c (represented in dotted fashion) which protrudes laterallybeyond the side walls 25. Although the topmost good 23 f protrudeslaterally beyond the container wall 25, it is still located within theloading space 27 c and therefore causes no negative outcome of the checkon whether all goods 23 f are located within the loading space 27 c.

FIG. 10 further shows the container 9 a loaded with goods 23 f, but witha loading space 27 a extending only to the loading opening 26. Here, aswell, all goods 23 f are arranged within the loading space 27 a andtherefore cause no negative outcome of the check on whether all goods 23f are located within the loading space 27 a.

FIG. 11 shows the container 9 a loaded with goods 23 g, which, again,has a loading space 27 a extending only to the loading opening 26. Inthis example, a flexurally limp good 23 g hangs over the container edge,whereby the check on whether all goods 23 g are located within theloading space 27 a has a negative result. In the case of a loading spacewhich, in the section protruding beyond the side walls 25, extendsdownwards below the plane 28 of the loading opening 26, as it isdepicted in FIG. 7 for the loading space 27 d, it would, however, beconceivable that the result of the aforementioned check is positive,provided that the loading space for the good 23 g is formed to be largeenough.

From FIG. 11, it can particularly also be seen that the suggested methodand/or the suggested robot system 2 a . . . 2 d as well as the suggestedstorage and order-picking system 12 are not only suited for themanipulation of more or less rigid and cuboidal bodies (goods 230, butalso for the manipulation of flexurally limp and irregularly shapedgoods 23 g.

Finally, FIG. 12 shows a container 9 a loaded with the irregularlyshaped goods 23 g in which container 9 a all goods 23 g are locatedwithin the loading space 27 a extending to the loading opening 28. Thecheck on whether all goods 23 g are located within the loading space 27a therefore, again, has a positive result.

FIGS. 4 to 12 refer to the container 9 a. Of course, the disclosedteaching can also be unrestrictedly applied to the containers 9 b . . .9 e.

FIG. 13 shows an arrangement with two containers 9 a and 9 b as well asa rest surface 29 a which extends between said containers 9 a, 9 b andpartially around the containers 9 a, 9 b. This way, a good 23 jinadvertently dropped from the gripping unit 4 can be prevented fromfalling onto the floor. Instead, the good 23 j falls onto the restsurface 29 a as it is depicted in FIG. 13. The good 23 j can becollected from this rest surface 29 a and be placed down in either thefirst container 9 a or in the second container 9 b. FIG. 14 shows thearrangement from FIG. 13 in a condition in which the good 23 j has beenplaced down in the second container 9 b.

FIG. 15 shows an arrangement with four containers 9 a . . . 9 d and arest surface 29 b, which arrangement is very similar to the arrangementshown in FIGS. 13 and 14. However, in contrast to these, not twocontainers 9 a and 9 b are present, but rather four containers 9 a . . .9 d. The rest surface 29 b extends in a cruciform manner between thecontainers 9 a 9 d. In this example, on the other hand, it is presumedthat a good 23 m was dropped inadvertently from the gripping unit 4 ontothe rest surface 29 b. The good 23 m can be collected from said restsurface 29 b and be placed down in one of the containers 9 a . . . 9 d.FIG. 16 shows the arrangement from FIG. 15 in a condition in which thegood 23 m has been placed down in the container 9 c.

The rest surfaces 29 a, 29 b shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 can be formed byhorizontal surfaces (and possibly form a clearing place), however, theycan also be inclined towards one of the containers 9 a . . . 9 d. Thisway, goods 23 a . . . 23 n dropped from the gripping unit 4automatically slide to one of the predefined places. Inclined restsurfaces 29 a, 29 b primarily serve for automatically conveying goods 23a . . . 23 n inadvertently dropped from the gripping unit 4 to one ofthe predefined places. However, it is also conceivable that the goods 23a . . . 23 n are intentionally dropped onto an inclined rest surface 29a, 29 b or placed down thereon, in order to automatically convey thegoods 23 a . . . 23 n to one of the predefined places. In doing so, itis advantageous that the distance traveled by the gripping unit 4 duringthe transfer of goods 23 a . . . 23 n can be reduced.

FIG. 17 now shows an example of a flap 31 arranged between firstcontainer 9 a and a second container 9 b and pivotable about a rotationaxis 30. This way, a good 23 n inadvertently dropped from the grippingunit 4 can be conveyed into the second container 9 b in an aimed mannerby elevating the flap 31. In order to achieve this, the flap 31 can haveits own pivot drive, or the elevating of the flap 31 is performed by therobot 1 a, 1 b itself. Advantageously, the good 23 n (which is possiblydifficult to collect/grip) does not require to be gripped by thegripping unit 4 for this.

It is also conceivable that the flap 31, alternatively or additionally,can be inclined towards the first container 9 a. Furthermore, it isconceivable that the flap 31, alternatively or additionally, can beinclined towards a rest position/a clearing place and/or a containerthat is placed there. Moreover, it is conceivable that the horizontallyoriented flap 31 itself forms the clearing place.

At this point, it is noted that the rest surface 29 a shown in FIGS. 13and 14, the rest surface 29 b shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 as well as theflap 31 shown in FIG. 17 can also be used in a robot system 2 a, 2 baccording to FIGS. 1 and 2 as well as in a storage and order-pickingsystem 12 according to FIG. 3. Additionally, it is of course alsopossible that the rest surface 29 a, 29 b extends around the containers9 a . . . 9 d and surrounds them, so that the risk of a good 23 a . . .23 n falling on the floor is even smaller.

The function of the arrangements shown in the figures is now explainedin detail below:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the process when transferring goods 23 a . . . 23 nfrom a first goods carrier 9 a (source container) into a second goodscarrier 9 b (target container) with the aid of the gripping unit 4. Thegoods carriers 9 a and 9 b formed as box-shaped containers aretransported to the robot 1 a, 1 b by means of the conveying devices 10 aand 10 b for the transfer operation and transported away from the robot1 a, 1 b after the transfer operation. However, the transport of thegoods 23 a . . . 23 n with the aid of loading aids 9 a and 9 b is nonecessary requirement, but the goods 23 a . . . 23 n can also betransported directly on the conveying devices if these, for example,comprise a belt conveyor, a modular belt conveyor and the like as thefirst conveying path 10 a and a belt conveyor, a modular belt conveyorand the like as the second conveying path 10 b. Of course, rollerconveyors 10 a and 10 b could be provided as well. Likewise, otherloading aids such as trays or cardboard boxes, could be provided inplace of the containers 9 a and 9 b.

If in the region of the robot system 2 a . . . 2 d, loading aids(containers, trays, cardboard boxes) from which or out of which goods 23a . . . 23 n are removed by means of the suction grippers 5, are used asfirst object carriers 10 a, the (source) loading aids can advantageouslybe loaded with goods 23 a . . . 23 n of just one type or be loaded in acompartmentalized manner with goods 23 a . . . 23 n of just one type.For example, a first loading aid contains the good “A”, a second loadingaid the good “B” and so on. As opposed to this, it is also possible thata loading aid is divided into multiple receiving compartments by meansof dividing walls and can accommodate different goods “A”, “B”, whereina good “A” can be accommodated in the first receiving compartment and agood “B” can be accommodated in the second receiving compartment.

FIG. 3 shows a fairly more complex arrangement, in specific terms astorage and order-picking system 12. In this regard, goods 23 a . . . 23e are delivered to the incoming goods department 14, loaded onto thefirst conveying path 16, transferred from the first conveying path 16 tothe second conveying paths 17 a and 17 b by the robot system 2 c andstored in the storage racks 19 by means of the storage-and-retrievalunits 20 a and 20 b. The first conveying path 16 in this operation actsas the first goods carrier and/or the source, whereas the secondconveying paths 17 a and 17 b in this operation act as the second goodscarrier and/or the target.

When a picking order is to be processed, the goods 23 a . . . 23 eassigned to the order are removed from at least one storage rack 19 withthe aid of at least one storage-and-retrieval unit 20 a and 20 b andtransferred to the third conveying path 21. Then, the goods 23 a . . .23 e are transported to the robot system 2 d with the aid of the thirdconveying path 21 and transferred from the third conveying path 21 tothe fourth conveying path 22 by said robot system 2 d and are lastlytransported to the outgoing goods department 15 with the aid of thefourth conveying path 22. The third conveying path 21 in this operationacts as the first goods carrier and/or the source, whereas the fourthconveying path 22 in this operation act as the second goods carrierand/or the target.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the goods 23 a, 23 b and 23 e aretransported directly on the conveying paths 16, 17 a, 17 b, 21 and 22acting as goods carriers, whereas the goods 23 c and 23 d aretransported with the aid of loading aids 9 c . . . 9 e, whichaccordingly also act as goods carriers. Thus, FIG. 3 shows a mixed typeof transport. It would certainly also be conceivable that the goods 23 a. . . 23 e are transported solely on the conveying paths 16, 17 a, 17 b,21 and 22 acting as goods carriers or solely with the aid of the loadingaids 9 c . . . 9 e.

Of course, the design and arrangement of the conveying paths 16, 17 a,17 b, 21 and 22 in FIG. 3 is to be considered only illustrative andother formations and arrangements of the mentioned conveying paths 16,17 a, 17 b, 21 and 22 are also conceivable. In particular, an annularconveying path could be arranged at the incoming goods department 14, orlinear conveying paths could be provided at the outgoing goodsdepartment 15. The conveyor connection of the robot system 2 c and 2 dto the incoming goods department 14, to the storage area 18 and to theoutgoing goods department 15 is not necessarily established viastationary conveying means, as shown in FIG. 3, but could also takeplace in whole or in part via autonomous transport vehicles (inparticular autonomous floor conveyors), whose loading platforms thenalso serve as goods carriers.

It would further be conceivable that the goods 23 a . . . 23 e areloaded directly onto the storage-and-retrieval units 20 a and 20 b bythe robot system 2 c or are taken over directly from thestorage-and-retrieval units 20 a and 20 b by the robot system 2 d. Inthis case, the loading platforms of the storage-and-retrieval units 20 aand 20 b also serve as goods carriers.

At this point, it should also be noted that the robots 1 a and 1 b donot necessarily have to be designed as jointed-arm robots, but can alsobe designed for example as gantry robots.

It should also be noted that the goods 23 a . . . 23 n may be arrangedin or on the first goods carrier 9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21 next toeach other, on top of each other, standing upright or lying down, thusdisordered (chaotic) and/or in a random arrangement.

It should further be noted that the sensor system can not only comprisecameras 8 a . . . 8 e, but alternatively or additionally also a roomdepth sensor, a laser scanner and/or an ultrasonic sensor. With the aidof these sensors, in particular, a three-dimensional image of the goods23 a . . . 23 n lying in or on a goods carrier (for example in thecontainers 9 a . . . 9 e or on the conveying paths 10 a and 10 b) can bedetected.

In general, by the three-dimensional detection a surface structure ofthe goods 23 a . . . 23 n can be detected and the suitability forgripping by means of the suction grippers 5 can be determined. Forexample, highly convex surfaces are less suitable for gripping, whereasplane surfaces are particularly well grippable.

Generally, a check on whether a good 23 a . . . 23 n protrudes beyondsaid loading space 27 a . . . 27 d (see FIGS. 4 to 12) is performedduring the above-described processes in a robot system 2 a, 2 b or inthe storage and order-picking system 12, after the collection of a good23 a . . . 23 n from or out of the first goods carrier 9 a by means of agripping unit 4. If the outcome of said check is positive, the good 23 a. . . 23 n protruding beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d can, in afurther step, be collected by the gripping unit 4 and be placed down ata different position (case a). This different position can be located,in particular, in the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d of the loading aid 9a, from which the good 23 a . . . 23 n in question was collected. Thedifferent position can, however, also be located within the loadingspace 27 a . . . 27 d of another loading aid 9 b. Finally, it is alsopossible to place the good 23 a . . . 23 n down at a different positionoutside of a loading space 27 a . . . 27 d of a loading aid 9 a, 9 b,for example, at a clearing place. Alternatively, it is also possible tomove the part of the good 23 a . . . 23 n that is protruding beyond theloading space 27 a . . . 27 d back into the loading space 27 a . . . 27d by means of the gripping unit 4 (case b).

The outcome of said check can be positive, particularly if a good 23 a .. . 23 n inadvertently falls off the gripping unit 4, or a positioncalculated for the good 23 a . . . 23 n for placing down or throwing onthe second goods carrier 9 b proves to not be reached.

In the above procedures, it is particularly conceivable that the checkon whether a good 23 a . . . 23 n protrudes beyond a loading space 27 a. . . 27 d as well as the steps a) or b) are repeated recursively untilthe outcome of said check is negative. In the course of this, it isassumed that the robot system 2 a . . . 2 d is principally able torectify errors that have occurred.

However, it would also be particularly conceivable that the check onwhether a good 23 a . . . 23 n protrudes beyond a loading space 27 a . .. 27 d as well as the steps a) or b) are repeated recursively and therecursive repetition of this procedure is canceled after a predefinednumber of repetitions and an alarm message is issued. In this variant,an operator is involved, if necessary, to solve the problem that hasoccurred.

Generally, the inadvertent dropping of a good 23 a . . . 23 n can bedetected by monitoring an occupied status of the gripping unit 4 afterthe collection of a good 23 a . . . 23 n. The unwanted dropping of agood 23 a . . . 23 n is characterized in that the gripping unit 4 isunoccupied but activated. Consequently, the check on whether a good 23 a. . . 23 n protrudes beyond a loading space 27 a . . . 27 d isinitiated. In the event that the gripping unit 4, however, is occupiedand activated, a good 23 a . . . 23 n is held by the gripping unit 4. Inthe event that the gripping unit 4 is unoccupied and deactivated, a good23 a . . . 23 n was placed down or dropped deliberately and/orintentionally. The monitoring of the occupied status of the grippingunit 4 can, for example, be carried out by a sensor technology on thegripping unit 4, which sensor technology is specifically designed forthis (not depicted). The monitoring of the occupied status of thegripping unit 4 can, however, also be carried out by the sensor system 8a . . . 8 e which is provided for detecting the loading space 27 a . . .27 d and the goods 23 a . . . 23 n located in the region of the loadingspace 27 a . . . 27 d (i. e. in the example with the cameras 8 a . . . 8e shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

Furthermore, it is favorable if the check on whether a good 23 a . . .23 n protrudes beyond a loading space 27 a . . . 27 d takes place afterthe gripping unit 4 and/or the good 23 a . . . 23 n collected by thegripping unit 4 has been completely moved out of the loading space 27 a. . . 27 d. If said check takes place after the good 23 a . . . 23 n hasbeen collected, the gripping unit 4 including the good 23 a . . . 23 nheld therewith should therefore have been completely moved out of theloading space 27 a . . . 27 d before the check. If said check takesplace after the good 23 a . . . 23 n has been placed down, only thegripping unit 4 (which now does not hold any more goods 23 a . . . 23 n)has to have been moved out of the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d beforethe check. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the check on whether agood 23 a . . . 23 n protrudes beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 dtakes place after the gripping unit 4 and/or the good 23 a . . . 23 ncollected by the gripping unit 4 has been completely moved out of adetection region of the sensor system 8 a . . . 8 e. Moreover, it isadvantageous if the check on whether a good 23 a . . . 23 n protrudesbeyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d takes place after completelymoving the gripping unit 4 and the good 23 a . . . 23 n collected by thegripping unit 4 laterally away from a goods carrier 9 a . . . 9 d, 10 a,10 b, 16, 17 a, 17 b, 21, 22. These measures ensure that a staticcondition ensues in the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d, which conditionis not disturbed by the transfer operation of the goods 23 a . . . 23 n.Accordingly, this also ensures that the check on whether a good 23 a . .. 23 n protrudes beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d is valid.

Moreover, it is favorable if the check on whether a good 23 a . . . 23 nprotrudes beyond said loading space 27 a . . . 27 d is performed aftereach collection of a good 23 a . . . 23 n. This allows to detect a good23 a . . . 23 n protruding beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 dwithin a narrow time frame of the occurrence of the error, and theaccumulation of the impacts of multiple errors occurring consecutivelyis avoided. The aforementioned measures relate particularly to the firstgoods carrier 9 a (source).

Similarly, it is favorable if the check on whether a good 23 a . . . 23n protrudes beyond said loading space 27 a . . . 27 d is performed aftereach placing down of a good 23 a . . . 23 n in or on the second goodscarrier 9 b. This allows to detect a good 23 a . . . 23 n protrudingbeyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d also within a narrow time frameof the occurrence of the error, and the accumulation of the impacts ofmultiple errors occurring consecutively is again avoided. These measuresrelate particularly to the second goods carrier 9 b (target).

Finally, it is also advantageous of the check on whether a good 23 a . .. 23 n protrudes beyond a loading space 27 a . . . 27 d is performedafter the placing down of a plurality of goods 23 a . . . 23 n (inparticular, after the placing down of all goods 23 a . . . 23 nassociated with an order) in or on the second goods carrier 9 b. Thisallows to reduce the number of checks and thereby the computing effortand the computation time for them. This variant is thereforeparticularly suitable for robot systems 2 a . . . 2 d with a limitedcomputational power.

Generally, a check can take place after the collection of the good 23 a. . . 23 n (but before placing the same down) and a further check cantake place after placing down the good 23 a . . . 23 n. However, it isalso conceivable that only one check takes place after placing down thegood 23 a . . . 23 n (and therefore, chronologically after thecollection of the good 23 a . . . 23 n).

It is also favorable if the check on whether a good 23 a . . . 23 nprotrudes beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d takes place aftergripping/collecting a different good 23 a . . . 23 n from or out of thefirst goods carrier 9 a. This variant relates to two cases inparticular, namely if a different good 23 a . . . 23 n than the one thathas been collected is dropped back into or onto the first goods carrier9 a, or if the gripping unit 4 has placed down a good 23 a . . . 23 n inor on the second goods carrier 9 b, but prevents an optical detection ofthe second goods carrier 9 b and the goods 23 a . . . 23 n storedtherein. In the first case, a good 23 a . . . 23 n different from theone collected is inadvertently pulled along and can consequentlyprotrude beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d of the first goodscarrier 9 a. In the second case, a detection (particularly, an opticaldetection) of the second goods carrier 9 b and the goods 23 a . . . 23 nstored therein can take place only once the gripping unit 4 is moved outof the region of the second goods carrier 9 b.

The check on whether a good 23 a . . . 23 n protrudes beyond the loadingspace 27 a . . . 27 d can generally take place during the movement ofthe gripping unit 4 from the first goods carrier 9 a to the second goodscarrier 9 b and vice versa, so that no noticeable waiting periods arecaused by the check. Loading aids can therefore be dispatchedimmediately after the repacking or order-picking operation by means of aconveying device 10 a, 10 b.

In a particularly advantageous variant the gripping/collecting of a good23 a . . . 23 n from or out of the first goods carrier 9 a and adetection of the second goods carrier 9 b and the goods 23 a . . . 23 nlocated in or on the second goods carrier 9 b with the aid of the sensorsystem 8 a . . . 8 e and the placing down of a good 23 a . . . 23 n inor on the second goods carrier 9 b and a detection of the first goodscarrier 9 a or the goods 23 a . . . 23 n located in or on the firstgoods carrier 9 a with the aid of the sensor system 8 a . . . 8 e takesplace in alternation.

This variant can be explained particularly well by reference to therobot system 1 a of FIG. 1:

-   -   In a first period of time, a good 23 a . . . 23 n is collected        from the first goods carrier 9 a.    -   In a second period of time, the good 23 a . . . 23 n is placed        down in the second goods carrier 9 b. If necessary, a correction        also takes place regarding goods 23 a . . . 23 n protruding        beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d of the second goods        carrier 9 b, according to cases a) or b). Additionally, in the        second period of time, the first goods carrier 9 a including the        goods 23 a . . . 23 n stored therein is detected by the camera 8        a.    -   In a third period of time, the gripping unit 4 travels back to        the first goods carrier 9 a and collects a further good 23 a . .        . 23 n from the first goods carrier 9 a. If necessary, a        correction takes place regarding goods 23 a . . . 23 n        protruding beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d of the first        goods carrier 9 a, according to cases a) or b). Additionally, in        the third period of time, the second goods carrier 9 b including        the goods 23 a . . . 23 n stored therein is detected by the        camera 8 b.    -   In a fourth period of time, the good 23 a . . . 23 n is placed        down in the second goods carrier 9 b. If necessary, a correction        takes place, yet again, regarding goods 23 a . . . 23 n        protruding beyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d of the        second goods carrier 9 b, according to cases a) or b).        Additionally, in the fourth period of time, the first goods        carrier 9 a including the goods 23 a . . . 23 n stored therein        is detected by the camera 8 a.    -   As a consequence, the procedures described for the even periods        of time and odd periods of time are repeated as often as        desired.

The camera image of the first goods carrier 9 a including the goods 23 a. . . 23 n stored therein captured in the second period of time formsthe basis for gripping a good 23 a . . . 23 n and the correctionregarding a good 23 a . . . 23 n protruding beyond the loading space 27a . . . 27 d of the first goods carrier 9 a in the third period of time.The camera image of the second goods carrier 9 b including the goods 23a . . . 23 n stored therein captured in the third period of time formsthe basis for placing down a good 23 a . . . 23 n and the correctionregarding a good 23 a . . . 23 n protruding beyond the loading space 27a . . . 27 d of the second goods carrier 9 b in the fourth period oftime. The procedures taking place in the odd periods of time and in theeven periods of time therefore are repeated “in alternation”. As anaddition, it is noted that the periods of time can be fully separate ofeach other but can also overlap temporally.

The above variant has been explained with reference to the robot system2 a. Naturally, however, it also unrestrictedly applies to the robotsystem 2 b of FIG. 2 or to the storage and order-picking system 12 ofFIG. 3.

By means of the proposed measures, a good 23 a . . . 23 n protrudingbeyond the loading space 27 a . . . 27 d of a loading aid 9 a . . . 9 eis recognized, whereby faults in conveying and manipulating in a storageand order-picking system 12 can be avoided, for instance if the loadingaids 9 a . . . 9 e, during their transport, pass regions having a lowvertical clearance, or if the loading aids 9 a . . . 9 e are subjectedto high accelerations and/or vibrations and goods 23 a . . . 23 nprotruding beyond a loading space 27 a . . . 27 d could fall out of orfrom the loading aid 9 a . . . 9 e. Therefore, the availability of astorage and order-picking system 12 is increased by means of theproposed measures. Additionally, the performance of the storage andorder-picking system 12 can be significantly increased as compared tothe prior art by means of the loading aids 9 a . . . 9 e that can beloaded up to a container edge and/or even beyond that. Therefore, theyalso require less installation space than has been the case to date.

Finally, it should also be noted that the scope of protection isdetermined by the claims. However, the description and the drawings areto be adduced for construing the claims. Individual features or featurecombinations from the different exemplary embodiments shown anddescribed may represent independent inventive solutions. The objectunderlying the independent inventive solutions may be gathered from thedescription.

In particular, it should also be noted that the devices shown may inreality comprise more or less components than those shown. In somecases, the shown devices and/or their components may not be depicted toscale and/or be enlarged and/or reduced in size.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 a, 1 b robot

2 a . . . 2 d robot system

3 robot base

4 gripping unit

5 suction gripper

6 first robot arm segment

7 second robot arm segment

8 a . . . 8 e camera (sensor system)

9 a . . . 9 e container (goods carrier)

10 a, 10 b conveying device(s) (goods carrier)

11 controller

12 storage and order-picking system

13 building wall

14 incoming goods department

15 outgoing goods department

16 first conveying path (goods carrier)

17 a, 17 b second conveying path (goods carrier)

18 storage area

19 storage rack

20 a, 20 b storage-and-retrieval unit

21 third conveying path (goods carrier)

22 fourth conveying path (goods carrier)

23 a . . . 23 n good(s)

24 container bottom

25 side wall

26 loading opening

27 a-27 d loading space

28 plane of the loading opening

29 a, 29 b rest surface

30 rotation axis

31 flap

1. A method for controlling a robot (1 a, 1 b) in a storage andorder-picking system (12), said robot (1 a, 1 b) comprising a grippingunit (4) movable in relation to the robot base (3), in which the goods(23 a . . . 23 n) are collected from or out of a first goods carrier (9a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21) and are placed down in or on a second goodscarrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22) by means of the gripping unit(4), wherein at least one of the goods carriers is designed as a loadingaid (9 a . . . 9 e) suitable for the transport of the goods (23 a . . .23 n), wherein: in the region of the at least one loading aid (9 a . . .9 e), a loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) is defined, which is intendedfor accommodating the goods (23 a . . . 23 n), the loading space (27 a .. . 27 d) and the goods (23 a . . . 23 n) located within the region ofthe loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) are detected with the aid of asensor system (8 a . . . 8 e), after collection of a good (23 a . . . 23n) from or out of the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21)by means of the gripping unit (4), a check is performed whether a good(23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyond said loading space (27 a . . . 27 d)and a) the good (23 a . . . 23 n) protruding beyond the loading space(27 a . . . 27 d) is collected by the gripping unit (4) and placed downat a different position or b) the part of the good (23 a . . . 23 n)protruding beyond the loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) is moved into theloading space (27 a . . . 27 d) by the gripping unit (4), if the outcomeof said check is positive.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein,for placing down a good (23 a . . . 23 n) in or on the second goodscarrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22), a position within the loadingspace (27 a . . . 27 d) is calculated, at which said good (23 a . . . 23n) likely does not protrude beyond said loading space (27 a . . . 27 d).3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the loading aid (9 a . . . 9e) used comprises a container bottom (24), side walls (25) rising upfrom it and a loading opening (26) bounded by the side walls (25), andthe loading space (27 a) is bounded towards the top by said loadingopening (26).
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the loadingaid (9 a . . . 9 e) used comprises a container bottom (24), side walls(25) rising from it and a loading opening (26) bounded by the side walls(25), and the loading space (27 b) upwardly protrudes beyond saidloading opening (26).
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein theloading space (27 c) protrudes laterally beyond the side walls (25) ofthe loading aid (9 a . . . 9 e).
 6. The method according to claim 5,wherein the loading space (27 d), in the section that protrudes beyondthe side walls (25), extends downwards below the plane (28) of theloading opening (26).
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein thereis an additional check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) dropped fromthe gripping unit is located completely outside the loading space (27 a. . . 27 d).
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: a check isconducted on whether the good (23 a . . . 23 n) that was dropped fromthe gripping unit (4) is located on a rest surface (29 a, 29 b) which isarranged to be adjacent to the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a,16, 21) and/or to the second goods carrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b,22), and the good (23 a . . . 23 n) located on the rest surface (29 a,29 b) is collected by the gripping unit (4) and is placed down i) in oron the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21), or ii) in oron the second goods carrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22), or iii) ata clearing place.
 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein there is acheck on whether the good (23 a . . . 23 n) dropped from the grippingunit (4) has dropped on the floor.
 10. The method according to claim 1,wherein the check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyondthe loading space (27 a . . . 27 d), as well as the steps a) or b) arerepeated recursively until the outcome of said check is negative. 11.The method according to claim 1, wherein the check on whether a good (23a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyond a loading space (27 a . . . 27 d), aswell as the steps a) or b) are repeated recursively, and the recursiverepetition of this procedure is canceled after a predefined number ofrepetitions, and an alarm message is issued.
 12. The method according toclaim 1, wherein: the gripping/collection of a good (23 a . . . 23 n)from or out of the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21) anda detection of the second goods carrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22)and the goods (23 a . . . 23 n) located in or on the second goodscarrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22) with the aid of the sensorsystem (8 a . . . 8 e) and the placing down of a good (23 a . . . 23 n)in or on the second goods carrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22) and adetection of the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21) orthe goods (23 a . . . 23 n) located in or on the first goods carrier (9a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21) with the aid of the sensor system (8 a . . .8 e) takes place in alternation.
 13. The method according to claim 1,wherein the check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyondthe loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) takes place after collecting adifferent good (23 a . . . 23 n) from or out of the first goods carrier(9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21).
 14. The method according to claim 1,wherein the first goods carrier is formed as a first loading aid (9 a, 9c, 9 e) and the second goods carrier is formed as a second loading aid(9 b, 9 d), and in the region of the first loading aid (9 a, 9 c, 9 e),a loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) is defined, which is intended foraccommodating goods (23 a . . . 23 n), and in the region of the secondloading aid (9 b, 9 d), a further loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) isdefined, which is intended for accommodating goods (23 a . . . 23 n),the loading spaces (27 a . . . 27 d) and the goods (23 a . . . 23 n)located in the region of the loading spaces (27 a . . . 27 d) of thefirst loading aid (9 a, 9 c, 9 e) and of the second loading aid (9 b, 9d) are each detected by means of the sensor system (8 a . . . 8 e), bothafter the collection of a good 23 a . . . 23 n) from or out of the firstloading aid (9 a, 9 c, 9 e) by means of the gripping unit (4) and afterthe placing down of the good (23 a . . . 23 n) in or on the secondloading aid (9 b, 9 d) by means of the gripping unit (4), a check takesplace on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyond one of theloading spaces (27 a . . . 27 d), and a) the good (23 a . . . 23 n)protruding beyond said loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) is collected bythe gripping unit (4) and placed down at a different position, or b) thepart of the good (23 a . . . 23 n) protruding beyond said loading space(27 a . . . 27 d) is moved into the loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) bymeans of the gripping unit (4) if the outcome of said check is positive.15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the check on whether a good(23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyond a loading space (27 a . . . 27 d)takes place after the gripping unit (4) and/or the good (23 a . . . 23n) collected by the gripping unit (4) has been completely moved out ofthe loading space (27 a . . . 27 d).
 16. The method according to claim1, wherein the check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudesbeyond the loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) takes place after thegripping unit (4) and/or the good (23 a . . . 23 n) collected by thegripping unit (4) has been completely moved out of a detection region ofthe sensor system (8 a . . . 8 e).
 17. The method according to claim 1,wherein the check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyondthe loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) takes place after completely movingthe gripping unit (4) and the good (23 a . . . 23 n) collected by thegripping unit (4) laterally away from a goods carrier (9 a . . . 9 d, 10a, 10 b, 16, 17 a, 17 b, 21, 22).
 18. The method according to claim 1,wherein the check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyondsaid loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) is performed after each collectionof a good (23 a . . . 23 n).
 19. The method according to claim 1,wherein the check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyondsaid loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) is performed after each placingdown of a good (23 a . . . 23 n) in or on the second goods carrier (9 b,9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22).
 20. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe check on whether a good (23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyond saidloading space (27 a . . . 27 d) takes place after placing down aplurality of goods (23 a . . . 23 n) in or on the second goods carrier(9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22).
 21. The method according to claim 1,wherein an occupied status of the gripping unit (4) after the collectionof a good (23 a . . . 23 n) is monitored and the check on whether a good(23 a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyond the loading space (27 a . . . 27 d)is performed upon recognition of an unoccupied but activated grippingunit (4).
 22. The method according to claim 1, wherein, according to anorder, the goods (23 a . . . 23 n) are transported to the robot (1 a, 1b) with the aid of the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16,21), are transferred from or out of the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9e, 10 a, 16, 21) into or onto the second goods carrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b,17 a, 17 b, 22) with the aid of the robot (1 a, 1 b), and aretransported away from the robot (1 a, 1 b) with the aid of the secondgoods carrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22).
 23. A robot system (2 a. . . 2 d), comprising a robot (1 a, 1 b) having a gripping unit (4)movable in relation to a robot base (3) for collecting goods (23 a . . .23 n), wherein the robot (1 a, 1 b) is designed for collecting goods (23a . . . 23 n) from or out of a first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a,16, 21) and placing these down in or on a second goods carrier (9 b, 9d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22) by means of the gripping unit (4), wherein atleast one of the goods carriers is formed as a loading aid (9 a . . . 9e) suitable for the transport of the goods (23 a . . . 23 n), and asensor system (8 a . . . 8 e) for detecting a loading space (27 a . . .27 d) of the at least one loading aid (9 a . . . 9 e), which is intendedfor accommodating the goods (23 a . . . 23 n) and which is locatedwithin the operating range of said robot (1 a, 1 b), wherein: acontroller (11) which is configured to check, after the collection of agood (23 a . . . 23 n) from or out of the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c,9 e, 10 a, 16, 21) by means of the gripping unit (4), whether a good (23a . . . 23 n) protrudes beyond said loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) andto command, upon a positive outcome of the check, the robot (1 a, 1 b)to a) collect the good (23 a . . . 23 n) protruding beyond the loadingspace (27 a . . . 27 d) and to place it down at a different position, orb) move the part of the good (23 a . . . 23 n) that is protruding beyondthe loading space (27 a . . . 27 d) into the loading space (27 a . . .27 d).
 24. The robot system (2 a . . . 2 d) according to claim 23,wherein the sensor system (8 a . . . 8 e) comprises a camera and/or aroom depth sensor and/or a laser scanner and/or an ultrasonic sensor.25. The robot system (2 a . . . 2 d) according to claim 23, wherein thegripping unit (4) comprises at least one suction gripper (5).
 26. Therobot system (2 a . . . 2 d) according to claim 23, wherein the robot (1a, 1 b) is designed as a jointed-arm robot or a gantry robot.
 27. Astorage and order-picking system (12) for order-picking of goods (23 a .. . 23 n), comprising a storage area (18) for storing goods (23 a . . .23 n) and a working area for picking/repacking goods (23 a . . . 23 n)using a robot system (2 a . . . 2 d), characterized in that said robotsystem (2 a . . . 2 d) is designed according to claim
 23. 28. Thestorage and order-picking system (12) according to claim 27, wherein theworking area is designed for the fully automated order-picking of goods(23 a . . . 23 n), and a first conveying device for transporting goods(23 a . . . 23 n) in or on first goods carriers (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a,16, 21) is arranged between the storage area (18) and the robot (1 a, 1b) in the working area, and/or a second conveying device fortransporting goods (23 a . . . 23 n) in or on second goods carriers (9b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22) is provided between the storage area (18)and the robot (1 a, 1 b) in the working area, wherein the robot (1 a, 1b) is designed for collecting at least one good (23 a . . . 23 n) fromor out of the first goods carrier (9 a, 9 c, 9 e, 10 a, 16, 21) for anorder and to place the at least one good (23 a . . . 23 n) in or on thesecond goods carrier (9 b, 9 d, 10 b, 17 a, 17 b, 22) for this order.